Dalton police look for female suspect in assault, robbery at Zaxby's

The Dalton Police Department is looking for a suspect who yelled at a family in a restaurant parking lot, punched one of its members, then stole a purse before driving away, police said.

On Sept. 27 shortly after 5 p.m., one of the victims arrived at the Zaxby's on Airport Road to pick up a woman who works at the restaurant, Dalton Police spokesman Bruce Frazier said in a news release.

As the employee got into the van, the suspect pulled up next to the car and began yelling. The victims speak Spanish and could not understand what the suspect was yelling, Frazier said.

The suspect then exited her car, hitting the passenger side of the van with her door, Frazier said. She tried to reach into the van and take the keys out of the ignition, but one of the victims stopped her, Frazier said.

That victim got out of the van to confront the suspect, and the suspect punched him in the face, Frazier said.

The other victim ran into the restaurant to ask someone to call 911, Frazier said. While she was inside, the suspect reached through one of van's windows and took her purse, which that contained multiple items, including about $300 in cash, Frazier said.

The suspect then got back in her car and drove away.

The victims described the suspect as a heavyset white woman with shoulder-length red hair and a piercing in her bottom lip, Frazier said. One witness told police the suspect's hair was "bright red, almost pink."

The suspect's vehicle was described as a blue or possibly green "boxy" car, with a partial license plate of "998 YV," Frazier said. The victims told police they didn't think the license plate was from Georgia, and one witness told police the car had a Tennessee tag.